The Video Game Critic's
3DO Reviews A-L

Long before Resident Evil popularized the 'survival horror' genre of games, there was a similar game called Alone in the Dark. In this third person 3D adventure, you investigate an old house while collecting items, solving puzzles, avoiding traps, and battling monsters. Sound familiar? The graphics are polygon-rendered, allowing for numerous camera angles. Unfortunately it also means that the objects are very blocky, the action is slow, and you don't always get the best camera angle. The controls are a bit clumsy thanks to a confusing user interface. An "action" menu lets decide if you want to fight, search, push, etc. Thank goodness there is a "run" button, because otherwise the slow pace would be unbearable. While most of the puzzles aren't too bad, getting past some of the monsters can be a chore. A few of these creatures look downright silly - one looks like the Tasmanian devil! Alone in the Dark is at its best when you're searching and exploring, but the low frame rate makes the fighting slow and confusing. There aren't too many thrills in this game, but there is a certain amount of suspense. The sound effects and background music are particularly effective. You can save your place at any time. Alone in the Dark was an innovative game for its time, but it has not aged particularly well. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

This generic space shooter is one those bargain bin 3DO titles you expect to totally suck. Burning Soldier? Apparently this soldier missed the day of boot camp when the drill sergeant warned of the dangers of loving unclean women! Upon firing up this game, I was greeted by some dark cut-scenes and a James Earl Jones-wannabe narrator who explains, "It is 2095. Suddenly UFOs attack Mars." Wow, that's some thought-provoking stuff. Once I began playing the game however, I realized that Burning Soldier is not bad at all. In fact, for a 3DO title, it's a gem. Borrowing heavily from Star Wars The Arcade Game (1983) and Afterburner (1987), the game employs a first-person perspective, letting you aim a reticule at alien ships and incoming torpedoes. The digital pad is a touchy (you'll wish you had an analog controller), but fortunately your targets tend to congregate near the center of the screen. It's really satisfying to blow up alien ships, but you'll want to concentrate your fire on those big, red, incoming torpedoes. Besides a rapid-fire cannon, you're equipped with a special lock-on weapon you can "charge up", and I'd recommend doing just that during lulls in the action. Burning Soldier's gameplay isn't spectacular, but nifty full-motion video backgrounds sweeten the deal. The boring early stages are set in deep space, but once you return to earth, you'll be careening through desert valleys and whipping around the skyscrapers of Tokyo. The eye candy is rich, and I looked forward to seeing what each new stage had in store. Complimenting the shooting action is an upbeat, synthesized soundtrack that reminded me of Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast, 1999). Burning Soldier has frequent cut-scenes which cannot be skipped, but they are mercifully brief. The game offers endless continues, but you'll need to turn on the "score" option if you want some way to gauge your progress. Easy on the eyes and easy to play, Burning Soldier is one bargain bin title that's worthy of a spot in any 3DO collection. © Copyright 2007 The Video Game Critic.

Okay, I was terribly harsh in my initial review of this game, but as I often say to my wife, "I can explain!" It turns out that certain 3DO games run better on some systems than others. When I first reviewed this game a few years back, I played it on my Goldstar system, which thrashed and stuttered the whole way through. As you can imagine, the sporadic controls and fragmented music really tainted the experience. However, now that I've had a chance to play it on my Panasonic FZ-10, I can see Casper for what it really is - an engaging, easy-to-play adventure. Despite its quirks, Casper is certainly more enjoyable than most of the 3DO titles I've inflicted upon myself. I will admit that the premise is somewhat disturbing. Casper is actually a dead kid trying to resurrect himself! And while the cartoon version of the Casper character looked "friendly" enough, this 3D incarnation looks somewhat creepy. Still, Interplay infused the subject matter with enough with whimsical style and good-natured humor to make it palatable to most gamers (including kids). Gameplay involves exploring a huge mansion, collecting items, pigging out on food, assembling jigsaw puzzles, and avoiding unfriendly ghosts. As it turns out, ghosts love to eat broccoli and tuna fish sandwiches! Who knew? The game isn't the most logical in the world, so the ability to suspend disbelief is pre-requisite. For example, Casper can transform with a mist to navigate the ventilation system, but can't penetrate a barred door! One puzzle requires you to drop a lead weigh on a sparkly area to trigger a switch. That's hardly intuitive, but most of the game's puzzles are simple enough to hold your attention. Eventually, you'll open up so much of the mansion that it becomes confusing to navigate. A map screen would have been helpful. Still, the game is addictive, and I like how you can save you progress at any time. In terms of presentation, Casper rates extremely high. The house has a decrepit but elegant look, evocative of Disney's Haunted Mansion. The lavish orchestrated musical score tows the line between playful and ominous. This is a game that eventually grew on me. If your 3DO can handle it, Casper is a pleasant diversion. © Copyright 2005 The Video Game Critic.

Full motion video (FMV) games were once thought to be the "next big thing" in home entertainment, but ultimately they tanked because there's only so many ways you can interact with real video. In Corpse Killer, you're a soldier dropped on a zombie-infested island, and your mission is to find and stop the madman who's responsible for it all. You're befriended by a jeep-driving Rastafarian and a struggling reporter (who's also a major league hottie, by the way). Despite the elaborate storyline and abundance of video clips, most of the action involves moving a simple cursor around the screen and blasting approaching zombies. The gameplay is hopelessly simplistic, but I did find myself somewhat charmed by the "so-bad-they're-good" video sequences. The mad scientist is particularly entertaining, thanks to the over-the-top performance given by Vincent Schiavelli. I've played Corpse Killer on several other systems (Sega CD, 32X, Saturn), and this is easily the best looking version, but also the most difficult and frustrating. There are more indicators on the screen, the video looks cleaner, and the zombies aren't pixilated like they are in other versions. I also noticed some additional footage not available on other systems. The game supports a light gun, but like most 3DO owners, I didn't own one. Fortunately I found the cursor control to be adequate. One thing I didn't like about this version of Corpse Killer is the lack of falling "bonus" items. On other systems you can shoot small symbols to boost your ammo or health, which adds a miniscule amount of strategy to the shallow gameplay. If you have a place in your heart for these old FMV games, you'll appreciate Corpse Killer for what it is. But I think most people will dismiss it as a steaming pile of dung. © Copyright 2003 The Video Game Critic.

Crash N Burn is an excellent futuristic racing game that was bundled with the first 3DO machines. There are 30 (!) huge tracks that drop, twist, and turn like roller coasters. You can arm your vehicle with 28 (!) different weapons for some Twisted Metal-style car combat. I love the guided missiles, but the mines are a real pain because it's hard to see them coming. Still, they are often your only defense when someone is lighting you up from behind. At a framerate of 24 frames per second, it's not quite as pretty as Ridge Racer, but it's close. The tracks are intriguing in design, but there's not much to see in the post-apocalyptic background. Sections of the track are often flooded with water or mud. Too bad that water doesn't put out the fire when your car gets damaged. When things start heating up, you can pull into a pit stop for repairs. These pit stops are fast and easy, and allow you to reload your weapons as well. Each of the six distinct racers has a set of humorous (and poorly acted) videos. Racing on the 3DO doesn't get much better than this. Note: This game did not work on my Goldstar system. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

Despite their low budget special effects and laughable acting, I generally enjoy these old full-motion video (FMV) games. But unlike most titles in the genre, this one had some decent financing. Daedalus Encounter features snazzy visuals and a nice soundtrack, but it's all a facade. Despite its minimal gameplay, there's plenty of eye candy, mainly in the form of Tia Carrere, who you may recognize as the vixen from the films Wayne's World and True Lies. Here she plays Ariel, captain of a renegade starship, and Zack is her smart-aleck copilot. You play the role of Casey, some poor schmuck who got blasted to bits on a previous mission. As the third "member" of the crew, Casey is just a brain floating in a box with wires connecting him to a computer system. By holding the right shoulder button, you have a list of commands you can perform, such as analyzing objects or controlling a remote control probe. At least you won't be left behind when it's time to go out and explore. Daedalus Encounter is a good-looking game, even by today's standards. The video is slightly pixilated, but the pre-rendered alien landscapes are colorful and appropriately otherworldly. The story centers around an encounter with a large, seemingly abandoned alien freighter. The crew investigates and wanders around the mysterious vessel, and then, well, not a whole lot happens. Predictably, you have little bearing on what goes on. Your role is mainly limited to solving tedious puzzles to open doors. For some reason, just about every door contains a collection of symbols you need to rearrange in various combinations to open it. Unfortunately, these aren't the kind of puzzles that I'd call "fun". No, these are the kind that put people into mental institutions. I still don't know how I managed to solve a few of them. Daedalus Encounter offers little in the way of action, and when it does occur, you're little more than a spectator. You spend most of the game watching video, and although the first few scenes are interesting enough, the game gets boring when you start exploring the vessel and every room looks the same. The actors do a fair job considering the material, and Zack even has a few funny lines of dialogue. The gratuitous use of the "s---" word was probably done to merit a "mature" rating. Remember, 3DO was catering to the "adult" crowd, and you know how adults love to say bad words. In terms of audio, the game features some impressive mellow electronic music that nicely captures the desolation of space (or the desolation playing a boring FMV game). Daedalus Encounter comes on four CDs, but don't be deceived. The game is not very long and it can be finished in one sitting. Whenever you mess up, I like how the game automatically saves your spot and lets you pick up directly where you left off. I found Daedalus Encounter intriguing at first, but it couldn't hold my attention all the way through. Puzzle fans may find it a challenge, and FMV fans (all three of you) should get a kick out of the acting, but the rest of us are just along for the ride. And it's a pretty uneventful journey. © Copyright 2005 The Video Game Critic.

There's probably a decent D&D game buried in here somewhere, but DeathKeep was a freakin' nightmare to review. As the sequel to Slayer (3DO, 1994), this first-person dungeon crawler lets you wield weapons and cast spells against hostile creatures in underground mazes. There are plenty of items to collect, and managing you inventory is key. The monsters are impressively rendered and animated, but they look no better than those in Slayer. In fact, you'll face a lot of the very same creatures. Unlike Slayer's flat dungeons, DeathKeep incorporates ramps and platforms of various heights, but awkward camera controls make it hard to adjust your sights. Another issue is the lack of a map! That map was about the only thing that kept me going in Slayer, and without it I feel lost. And don't go looking for the save function either, because now you can only save between stages! Even the instruction book took a hit, as it's now a lot thinner and printed on cheap paper. The controls have been revamped, with the A and C buttons controlling your left and right hands, respectively. Being able to use the shoulder buttons to strafe is a huge improvement. Unfortunately, the 3DO controller's lack of buttons means you're forced to hit combinations to perform basic actions like adjusting the camera and changing weapons. For example, to look up you need to press B and R at the same time - not very intuitive! The audio has been noticeably upgraded with digitized sounds including nervous violins and ethereal chimes. Unfortunately the game goes completely silent whenever the disk is accessed - which is quite often! DeathKeep has its share of issues, but these are small potatoes compared to the putrid design of the first stage. As you explore blue caves, you'll slide on ice, burn yourself in boiling water, and be swept along by flowing water. How all three of these can coexist in such a small area, I have no idea. While struggling to navigate, you're constantly getting caught up on the numerous nooks and crannies along the hallways. Last but not least, you're immediately confronted by "ice trolls" who are - get this - impervious to weapon attacks! Each one of the things I just mentioned is an egregious example of poor game design. Shoehorning them all into one place - the first stage no less - is unforgivable. DeathKeep made me miserable, a if not for a cheat code I would have never seen the second stage. Once there, the game began to look a lot more like Slayer, but was far less enjoyable to play. © Copyright 2009 The Video Game Critic.

"Send a maniac to catch a maniac." That's Sylvester Stallone's opening line in Demolition Man, a game that manages to blur the line between movie and video game. Not only does the game follow the movie's storyline from beginning to end, it even contains lengthy video clips from the movie. And I was shocked to see that the star of the movie, Sylvester Stallone, actually shot video footage just for this game. That's extremely rare. Heck, they usually can't even get the actors to provide voices for the games. The production quality of this game is sky high, and the overall presentation really elevates this otherwise mediocre action title. Between stages, Stallone runs around in some admittedly virtual-looking environments to set up the next scene. Sly even cut video for the options menu! Choose the regular difficulty and he'll say, "You're doing the right thing", but pick the easy difficulty and he'll say "you suck". You have to appreciate that level of detail (and honesty!) The game itself is a hodgepodge of game styles, none of which excel in any way. The best and most prevalent stages are the light gun levels. While best played with a light gun (duh), these stages even work well with a joypad, believe it or not. The digitized thugs look great and provide a nice variety of targets. Hint: Shoot the grenades! In the museum stages, instead of shooting bad guys, you instead need to shoot parts of the scenery that will reveal your hiding archenemy Simon Phoenix (played by Wesley Snipes). There are also a few 2D fighting stages thrown it that play like a really bad Mortal Kombat clone. The controls are sluggish to say the least, and the gameplay is terribly primitive, despite some cool digitized graphics. Another poorly executed stage is the first-person underground tunnel stage. As you mow down bad guys while looking for the end of the tunnel, you can't harm Simon Phoenix, who antagonizes you nonstop! Everything looks the same down there, so if you want any chance of escaping, I'd recommend staying to the left or right the whole time (a basic maze traversal algorithm). The last type of stage is the driving stage, which looks great but is remarkably shallow. I love the smooth scaling and dark scenery, but all you're really doing is dodging cars. Demolition Man is a great looking game, but the gameplay should have gotten more attention. I appreciate the variety, but there's just not enough fun to be had. © Copyright 2002 The Video Game Critic.

I like Dennis Miller and his distinctive sense of humor. He was perfect as the news anchor on Saturday Night Live, and added much-needed spice to the Monday Night Football commentary, but the laughs on this disk are few and far between. This multimedia experiment is an attempt to recreate the magic of his SNL Weekend Update notoriety, but it falls flat. It's not a game at all, although it claims to be interactive. You can choose which category of jokes to watch, including politics, entertainment, and sports. Yes, Dennis uses plenty of sarcasm and obscure references, but there are no graphics or pictures for him to play off of, so he might as well be doing stand-up. Without a live audience, the jokes just don't seem as funny, and the video clips cut off the jokes before he can follow-up or start cracking up (like he used to do on SNL). At times, Dennis appears to be reading off a cue card, and most of the jokes (circa 1994) are now outdated. Despite the "interactive" controls, your best bet is to put this thing on "shuffle" and sit back and watch. I watched for quite a while before the jokes started to repeat. I would guess that there's between 30 and 45 minutes worth of jokes on this disk. But it didn't make me laugh - I just smiled a few times. It's yet another 3DO multimedia experiment that fell apart. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

You either love or hate this full motion video arcade game. I remember when I first saw Dragon's Lair in an arcade in 1983. Nobody could play it, but I couldn't take my eyes off the gorgeous animated graphics. It's basically an interactive cartoon where you need to make the right movements at exact times. Don Bluth's animation is sensational, and the audio track is also impressive. This 3DO version provides the cleanest video I've seen on a console system, but unfortunately, this is also a very difficult version. The game provides little or no room for error, no audio feedback, and few clues as to what you should do next. As a result, it's mainly a matter of trial and error, which can be frustrating to say the least. In addition, the rooms are in a fixed order, and using continues requires you to repeat some of the areas you have already been through. Only die-hard fans will want to bother with this. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

I've always enjoyed Haunted House games, so I found Monster Manor very appealing despite the fact that it's really a Doom clone. Your mission is to collect pieces of a Talisman scattered through an old house. This house is HUGE, with each floor consisting of an endless series of corridors and rooms. The rooms contain a few spooky items like coffins, statues, and hanging bodies, but for the most part they are wide open and all start looking the same after a while. You'll constantly need to consult your map to figure out where to go next. The semi-transparent ghosts are nicely rendered, but they could have been scarier (they were modeled in clay). Control is responsive; your movement is fast and smooth, and the shoulder buttons provide a handy strafe function. But the best aspect of Monster Manor is the audio. The background music is incredibly eerie, and the gristly sound effects will send chills down your spine. You often get the impression that something terrible is waiting for you in the next room! One thing I didn't like was how fast your life and ammo drains - you constantly need to replenish yourself. And while in some areas there's so much life and ammo you're tripping over them, there are other areas where they're painfully rare. And boy did I get tired of picking up all those gems and coins, which apparently only affect your score. Despite its flaws, Monster Manor is a pretty exciting game, and I don't think you can get it on any other console. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

One of the best titles in the 3DO sports lineup, FIFA International Soccer has the realism to please die-hard fans and the non-stop action to appeal to more casual gamers. I always enjoyed FIFA on the Sega Genesis, but its small, grainy characters were hard to make out. The 3DO hardware is better up to the task, rendering sharper, more realistic-looking players. The game is very easy to play, and the camera effectively rotates and zooms to keep you on top of the action. Your players always seem to be in perfect position to receive passes, and switching control between players is equally painless. Whether you're playing against the computer or up to five friends, the competition is always intense, especially around the goal. But what surprised me most about FIFA is its amazing audio. If you have a surround sound system, you'll definitely want crank it up for this game. The crowd sound effects are remarkably clear, and when the chants resonate through the speakers, you really do feel "in the game". FIFA's rich option screens let you adjust the camera angles, weather conditions, game length, penalties, and music. Just be sure to change the playing mode to "Sim", because the "Action" mode is crazy fast - my friends couldn't keep up with it. As a nice bonus, halftime feature videos of "great moments in soccer". Sure to please even non-fans, FIFA is one of the best soccer titles I've ever come across. © Copyright 2006 The Video Game Critic.

This ambitious title puts you in the ring as Muhammad Ali, boxing other big (and not so big) names including Joe Frazier and Leon Spinks. These 3D graphics must have been incredible in 1995. The boxers are composed of polygons with bitmapped textures, and they look terrific. Foes of Ali attempts to be as realistic as possible, which is both good and bad. The fights are much like they are in real life, with fighters that come out strong but are dead tired by the third round. One aspect that the game doesn't convey well is Ali's ability to dance around - these guys are all pretty slow. While sweat and blood flies for solid blows, the hits in general don't appear to be too devastating. And when the fighters clench (hug), it just looks silly. Foes of Ali scores big in the options department. You have total control over the boxing rules (rounds, scoring, judges) and game options (difficulty, blood, screen info). There are 21 camera angles to choose from, but most are worthless and some are utterly ridiculous. Each round is scored realistically by three judges. The game has its moments, and I managed to stage some exciting late-round comebacks. But as your fighter wears out, the controls become less responsive, which makes sense but isn't exactly fun. A few other glaring flaws ruined this game for me. First, the fighters tend to regain almost all of their energy between rounds, which is ludicrous. But what pissed me off worse was that worthless energy meter. With any other boxing game, these meters would indicate how close a fighter was to going down. But in this game, fighters can go down with plenty of energy left. On the flip side, fighters can keep fighting long after their energy has depleted! Does that make any sense at all? Foes of Ali definitely has a good look, but the gameplay leaves much to be desired. © Copyright 2002 The Video Game Critic.

In 1995, every console wanted a mascot, so we saw a lot of games featuring personable little animals. It was at this time that Gex, a comical green lizard, made his bid to be the 3DO representative. Although Gex never became a household name, this platform game was critically acclaimed. I can't deny that this is a high quality title with superb graphics, remarkable sound, and good variety. The stages are well-designed, colorful, and loaded with large animated characters. Gex is easy to control, and can execute such moves as the tail whip, tongue lash, hurl, and wall stick. The tail whip is his standard attack. The tongue lash lets him snag power-ups, which give him the power to hurl fire or ice balls. But Gex's real claim to fame is his ability to stick to walls and ceilings. We've seen this is some older games (Sonic and Knuckles come to mind), but never to this extent. The climbing aspect really adds a new dimension. You can choose which levels you want to play via Mario-like map screens. There are four sub-areas: the graveyard, Toontown, Kung-fu-ville, and the jungle. My favorite is the graveyard, which features lizard zombies, flying demons, and chainsaw-toting psychopaths. Gex features all the obligatory platform elements, including destructible walls, hidden areas, checkpoints, portals, springboards, and floating platforms. But Gex has a depth of play rarely seen in this type of game. For example, you can tail-whip floating skulls into your enemies. There are multiple paths through each stage and challenging mini games as well. Every level throws new surprises at you, and the bosses do not disappoint either. It's pretty rare that the sound effects stand out in a video game, but I definitely took notice of them in Gex. Effects like the whipping sound of his tail and enemies getting knocked like bowling pins are crystal clear and entertaining. Unfortunately I've never been a big fan of Dana Gould who does Gex's voice, and I found his quips to be mildly amusing but mostly annoying. You can save your game, but only at predetermined points. Overall, I'd have to say that Gex is one of the premiere 3DO games. Crystal Dynamics tried to create the ultimate 2D platform game, and they did a pretty good job. © Copyright 2002 The Video Game Critic.

This is one of those combat strategy games where you move a party of warriors around a map and engage in turn-based combat against monsters. It's similar to Vandal Hearts (Playstation, 1997) and Final Fantasy Tactics (Playstation, 1997), but not nearly as good. Guardian War features pseudo-3D, cartoonish sprites, but close camera angles make everything look chunky and pixelated. Upon entering a new territory, you must destroy a certain number of creatures to clear the map and move on. You'll navigate the countryside using your main character, but once a confrontation occurs, the other members of your party appear. Certain warriors are well suited for close-range sword fighting, but others like clerics can attack from a distance and heal other members of the party. Sitting through the mediocre attack animations gets tiresome though. There's some strategy involved in positioning your characters, but there's no concept of directional attacks, and all fighting is done on a level playing field (literally). The shoulder buttons let you rotate the camera by 90 degrees, but the low angle makes it hard to gauge your position with respect to other creatures. The strategic possibilities expand as you collect additional items and abilities, but it's slow and boring in the early going. The menu interface is reasonable, and it's nice how you can select a "defensive posture" when you're just trying to buy some time. Hitting one button brings up the prompt "Load ok?" and I never knew what the hell that meant. You can save your progress between stages. Guardian War's cut-scenes are poorly produced, and I could barely even make out what the narrator was saying. This game was probably pretty innovative back in 1994, but the genre has made huge strides since then, turning Guardian War into a long-lost relic. © Copyright 2007 The Video Game Critic.

This kind of 3DO game gets on my nerves. You "learn" as you play, and have to invest an inordinate time figuring out what's going on. I gave it a chance, but I think it was a waste of time. The premise of Immercenary is that you're the subject in an experiment to enter a virtual world to save mankind. When you make the "jump" to this virtual world called "Perfect", you find yourself in a city loaded with strange buildings, power-ups, and strange, zombie-like beings. What ensues is probably the slowest and most repetitive first person shooter I've ever witnessed. There are protective "portals" scattered all over that replenish your defense, offense, and agility. Until you learn how to use these, you'll die continuously. Portals also allow you to talk to these bizarre (and sometimes half naked) creatures, which is how you'll learn what the heck's going on around you. Your ultimate goal is to advance in rank from 255 to 1 by blowing away creatures and facing bosses. It took me quite a while to figure all this out, because the instructions really suck. Immercenary does feature some nifty visual effects and shapely babes, but it's mostly a slow, plodding ordeal. You're agility meter drains quickly as you run, so you'll constantly have to "rest". Resting is just like it sounds - you sit there and watch your meter recharge slowly (what genius came up with this idea?). Once you start moving, the peculiar control scheme keeps you moving forward like car, and you need to press both shoulder buttons to stop (weird!). Dying returns you to the lab, where the pissed-off scientists look at you like you've just interrupted their coffee break. The game never seems to end, even when you do poorly. Once I died on purpose, only to have a scientist at the lab say "Definite improvement in target kill ratio - that's good!", before sending my sorry ass back into this virtual hell. Immercenary tries to be a thinking man's Doom, but the payoff isn't nearly worth the investment. © Copyright 2002 The Video Game Critic.

This was a landmark football game. In 1994 me and my friends drooled over screenshots of 3DO's Madden in magazines, which were unbelievable for the time. With digitized sprites and actual video clips, this stood as the best Madden game from 1994 all the way until the recent Playstation 2 editions. Being a fan of old-school football games, I instantly fell in love with the TV-style presentation and the simple but fun gameplay. As you begin each contest, John Madden welcomes you from the booth and introduces the teams. Yes, his comments are generic and canned ("Okay, here's the kickoff, everyone should be ready."), but they still add something. The gameplay is outstanding. Players look almost photographic, and the animation is relatively smooth. I found the running and passing games to be fairly well-balanced. The running moves are effective, and your runningback usually won't go down on the first hit. I was surprised to see that this game uses the old-style passing windows, which I was never crazy about. There are video clips of referees and fans intermingled with the action. I love it when the "chains" are brought out to measure first downs. John Madden's commentary is pretty amusing. He always scolds you for using timeouts: "Just remember that timeout you took - it's gonna come back to haunt you". I love this game, but I can't ignore a few problems. First, the video clips in the "scouting report" section don't always jive with the text on the screen. Next, the snow is LAME. It's very light, and doesn't even lie on the field. Also, a skill level option would have been nice; I found this game to be a bit on the easy side. There are a few other minor issues, like when my receiver caught a touchdown, and then lined up to kick the extra point. What a versatile guy! Still, if you prefer classic sprite-based Madden action, it doesn't get much better than this. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

This certainly wasn't the game I was expecting. Jurassic Park Interactive is just a collection of mini games loosely held together by the Jurassic Park theme. The main screen displays a map and a set of buttons, but it's really just a game menu. The three main mini-games involve getting people to safely through first-person challenges. One has you driving a car while a T-Rex looms in the rear view mirror. Another is a confusing first-person maze game in a building full of raptors. The other lets you shoot at spitting dinosaurs. None of these are nearly as intense as they're intended to be. The other five mini games are wacky Jurassic Park take-offs on classic games like Space Invaders, Galaga, and Asteroids. I found them to be mildly amusing hardly appropriate. Overall Jurassic Park has nice graphics and sound, but the hodge-podge design is just bizarre. © Copyright 2002 The Video Game Critic.

Ugh! I've played some bad first-person shooters in my time, but this one is particularly painful! Killing Time is a violent game with an occult theme and bizarre creatures. It tries to be as gory, weird, and over-the-top as possible, but it's just irritating! The scenery is a boring, pixelated mess. Every now and then some full-motion video "ghosts" are superimposed on the screen. They look great, but only serve as eye-candy, not improving the lackluster gameplay. The control is absolutely atrocious. You movements are too jumpy to aim or look around easily, and strafing tends to get you hung up on the walls. The digitized enemies don't look bad, but your shots don't always register, even when your shot is dead-on. Killing Time is a nightmare. I hate it. Don't be deceived by the nice-looking screen shots on the box! © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.